TOKYO – The rainbow appeared suddenly, parting dark gray skies that loomed over a surfing venue as a tropical storm descended, as if the rainbow wanted to peek in. Down below, Carissa Moore was surfing. She would soon trudge out of the water and into the waiting arms of her coaches, who lifted her off the sand and carried her off the beach. An American flag hung from her shoulders like a superhero cape.
Across the Pacific Ocean, her relatives clustered around televisions. Well, except for her husband, Luke Untermann, a spouse so unnerved by the history at hand that he had locked himself inside a car, inside a garage, and watched an Olympic final on his cell phone.